First annual Genealogy Fair, showcasing professional genealogists and/or family history specialists. Keynote speaker and multiple presentations. Free event, no registration required.
Schedule:
Opening Remarks: 9:50-10:00 am - Gathering Place Stage
| Time | Gathering Place Stage | Angus Ross Room |
| 10:00 - 10:45 |
Fun with Family History - Janice Nickerson Genealogy is your passion but reading genealogy reports isn't your family's idea of fun. What else can you do? Make a game of course! Over the last ten years, Janice has introduced a new game at each family gathering, getting everyone from her five-year-old nephew to her 80-year-old father involved. |
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11:00 - 11:45 PLUS see *** workshop below ON CHILDREN's Floor |
Basic Genealogy - Kathleen Bacher Just getting started in family history? Learn the basics of getting started plus best practices to make sure your research is sound. Explore the sorts of records you can locate online and locally, plus how they work together to be sure the people you find are your family members. |
Putting Meat on the Bones and Filling in the Dash - Paula Jones A headstone notes the date of birth and date, but the dash between the two dates brings the person to life. Find facts and details about your ancestors, like putting meat on the bones, by using seemingly small details from research records, Google searches and a little sleuthing. Build a story that will fascinate and delight. |
| Noon - 1:00 |
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| 1:00 - 1:45 |
Beyond the Book - Janice Nickerson Most genealogists spend years, even decades, researching their family’s history and then despair of ever writing “the book” that will showcase all their discoveries for their family. This lecture demonstrates, with show-and-tell examples, a variety of creative ways to give your family the gift of genealogy without the slog of writing a 500-page tome. |
Archival Resources for Family Historians - Ellen Millar Learn which genealogical nuggets can be mined from local government and community records. Drawing on holdings of the Simcoe County Archives for examples, Assistant Archivist Ellen Millar will talk about archival resources of great value to family historians which are not available for searching in Ancestry or FamilySearch databases. |
| 2:00 - 2:45 |
It's like they never existed: Canada's Home Children - Lori Oschefski 150 years ago forced immigration of children of all ages to Canada began. As indentured farm laborers and domestics these children endured back breaking work and often, slave like conditions. The programs ended in 1949. Today there are over 4 million descendants of Home Children, yet it's a part of Canadian History which remains largely unknown in our country. Learn to locate records. |
French Canadian Records - Marie-Chantal Hogue Learn how to navigate the French-Canadian Records in Ancestry and FamilySearch. In addition our presenter, Marie-Chantal, will show you other likely websites to use to research your French-speaking ancestors. |
| 3:00 - 3:45 |
Indigenous Records - Angela Knowlton Indigenous Records can be challenging to locate if they were created at all. Join Angela as she explains how and where Indigenous records are found on Ancestry and at the National level in Canada. She will give you strategies for searching easily located records. |
Medals in the Attic: Military Records - Spencer Linington Explore and discover how to find the records that go with the medals left in the attic. Learn how to locate the records from WW1, what they mean, and the story they tell. |
ALSO:
*** Presentation on Children's Floor: 11:00 - 11:45 Involving Children in Family History - Vicki Nicholls
Children like hearing about their grandparents as children and about other ancestors. Learn fun ways to involve your children in family history. Vicki has presented on this topic at the Ontario Library Association conference.
Collaboratory: Drop-in database help for Ancestry or FamilySearch databases and tips on basic research. OGS & FHC members will help with complex research suggestions intermittently, as presentations permit.
Our Downtown Branch is centrally located in the Downtown core at the corner of Worsley and Owen Streets. The building and facilities are fully accessible. Enjoy a beverage or a small snack from our Café located inside the lobby, use our complimentary wifi, experiment with technology and maker tools, or soak up the sun on our Rooftop Reading Garden.
